Our friends at watchingbionicwoman.com and michelle-ryan.org both report on a Michelle Ryan interview with Men’s health magazine, menshealth.com. Like her character, Jaime Sommers, Michelle comes across as both determined and honest – infact she has previously mentioned that she can relate to her character and that this is part of the reason why the role interested her.

Or  rather a Crystal.. 

*Potential Spoiler for those who do not wish to know cast info beyond that published by the official NBC site:

Buddy TV’s John Kubicek has an exclusive interview with Bionic star Crystal Lowe, who plays Jaime’s best friend, Jessica. It’s a worthwhile interview as Crystal has kinda tip-toed through the back door so it’s good to hear her take on the show and her role:

Q. And how did you get this role in Bionic Woman?

Crystal: Well, I attended the audition like everybody else, but I have worked with Glen Morgan before. He’s one of the execs on the show, I did Final Destination 3 with him and Black Christmas. So we definitely had a relationship there, which was great. He’s so fantastic to work for, and I’m so happy to be on that show.

Q. And now you’re playing the best friend of Jaime Sommers in Bionic Woman, and do you get a chance to work with any of the other actors on the show, or is it primarily just you and Michelle Ryan?

Crystal: Well, I haven’t yet. Who knows as the scripts come what I’ll be doing? I’m guessing the majority of my stuff will be with Michelle, because we are kind of her real-life people. You know, not as the bionic woman, we don’t know she’s a bionic woman. We won’t know, as far as I know for now. So most of my stuff is with her and the girl that plays her younger sister, Lucy Hale, she’s fantastic and gorgeous.

Crystal raises a good point about the dual life that Sommers will have to lead – on the one hand Jaime will have her ‘Bionic life’ to lead where she’ll be coming up against all kinds of dangers, but on the other hand she’s got this other life where she’s a big sister, a girlfriend (unless she’s sacked Will ;)) and a friend..and more than that she has to keep all that is happening to her secret.

Q. And I do have to ask you, because the big announcement recently was that Isaiah Washington joined for a stint on the show. I’m just wondering what was your and what was the rest of the cast’s reaction to that hire?

Crystal: The rest of the cast that I’ve spoken to about it are giving no feeling on it, which is their response. I think that they are doing their job the best that they can do it. It’s up to the network to hire a good actor, and Isaiah Washington is a very good actor. So when I found out, “Oh, that’s interesting.”It’s somewhat risky because of all the controversy that they’ve had, but I don’t think that they’re hiring him based on anything else but the fact that he’s a very talented actor, and they think that he’s great for the role. So in that regard, I trust in them and I trust in the show.

Full credit to Crystal, her co-stars and the producers have avoided answering this question like a plague – though perhaps she has more freedom because she’s a recurring actor and probably hasn’t been in a scene with him? I agree with her that Isaiah both a talented actor and a gamble on behalf of the producers. Though it’s not really his acting that is in doubt. I guess we will indeed have to trust the producers but I would love to be a fly on the wall to find out how they all get along with Isaiah. Just like us fans i’m sure they have opinions on the controversy surrounding him.

Lowe goes on to talk about her off screen relationship with Michelle Ryan, her future in the show (which is a recurring), her upcoming project – ‘The Secret Society’ and a bunch of other stuff. You can read the full interview and even listen to the audio from the interview here.

Also, can I just say that Crystal Lowe is mega hawt! I’m not a fanboy but wow! Find out more about Crystal via her website - go on, I know you want to ;)

Comingsoon.net have an excellent interview with Producer David Eick and the Bionic Woman herself, Michelle Ryan. The Interview is very recent (8th Sept.) and they ask Eick about Glen Morgan’s departure and a possible early show hiatus - Eick doesn’t rule out some downtime and pays tribute to Morgan’s contribution, whilst indicating that perhaps Morgan’s vision for the show was too specific and wasn’t flexible enough:

We don’t have a short break planned yet. Although you always look for opportunities to give yourself time to catch up on scripts, even if there are surprises. On just about every show I have ever done we’ve taken a week that was unplanned and unbudgeted and you get the studio to pay for it. You sort of shut things down and go on hold just to catch up or adjust your navigation. I don’t that yet, but it wouldn’t surprise me if we did. It would be unusual if we did. As for Glen, things will change because he is a very specific personality with great leadership skills and a real clear vision of the show. To some extent some of that is going to undergo some adjustment. He is going to be missed. I think we all agreed that what he was helping to build toward the show to come was quite good and valuable. We will be using a great deal of it.

Comingsoon asked most of the questions I would’ve asked had I been doing the interview and one such question concerned the choices that Ryan’s character will be faced with – the tantalising theme of Woman Vs Machine..Sister vs Soldier. Interestingly, Ryan relates the battles that Jaimehas to face with her own journey as a young lady in today’s world, which I think is an honest insight to her as a person and will hopefully make for a great portrayal on screen (beware slight spoilers follow):

I think it is absolutely the human side… Yes, she has these super abilities, but at the core of it, there is a woman’s journey of self discovery and her right to empowerment. I feel like I am on that journey. I just felt an instant connection. I know this young character (Vivian), who also has sudden abilities, she comes along farther down the series and Jaime takes her under her wing immediately. She is very compassionate and she questions every step of the way when Jonas and Antonio say, ‘We are the good guys.’ She questions everything. I love that. She is just this very grounded multi-layered character and person. That’s why I felt, yeah, there is so much potential to play with her character, aside from the action sequences. The sci-fi element at the core of it is this human being who has got so much depth. That’s the woman I want to be like. I want to find my voice and I want my voice to be strong and confident. I feel playing Jaime is helping me get there.

It’s an exceptional interview which gives great insight into the mechanics and aesthetics of the show. I will no doubt come back to some of the issues it raised but for now you can read the entire interview here - it’s quite long, but well worth it.

Isaiah Washington made a shocking revelation on Monday afternoon. Speaking on Star Jones’ new show, he spoke of his fathers murder.

And as Isaiah helped Star kick off her new show, one innocent question led to a very surprising answer.

“I hear you talking about your mother, but I never hear you talking about your dad,” Star said to Isaiah.

“My father was murdered,” he answered.

But did Star have any idea the interview was about to take the dramatic turn?

“With that interview, I think that was a revelation that he talked about his father,” Tim noted.

“Absolutely,” Star said. “It was not a scripted question – not a planned question.”

During the on-air interview, Isaiah recounted the moment his life changed forever.

“It was the five o’clock news on Channel 13. it wad during the summer of 1976. I was 13 and the only reason I remembered that was because I heard the name ‘Isaiah Washington was murdered,’” Isaiah continued.

And what did Isaiah think of the question?

“After the interview, what did he say to you? Was he comfortable?” Tim asked Star.

You can read the rest of the article and watch the video clip here.

Ok, so this is interesting - ew.com report that Star Jones is going to interview Isaiah Washington. He will appear on Jones’ new Court TV Show, which potentially makes for interesting viewing as it will enable one of the most interesting ‘Bionic Woman’ themes – ‘Bionics and ethics’ - to be looked at and (hopefully) discussed in depth with one of the stars of the show (Washington). I think that this could be good for BW’s appeal, as it could remind a few of the shows early critics that there is an interesting premise to play with. I often refer back to it’s fellow NBC show, ‘Heroes’, as a marker, and I stand by that because evolution and bionics can go hand in hand, just as evolution and genetics do to such superb effect on ‘Heroes’. Anyway, we’ll see what Star Jones and Washington talk about. No doubt they’ll also wade through some of the controversial (and ethical) issues surrounding Isaiah. Whoopee ;)

Yesterday I complained that it was a bit quiet on the Bionic front, and like clockwork we have another article about Isaiah Washington.

So the lastest article that i’ve read on the matter comes from Deseret Morning News. It has the same quotes from Ben Silverman, and all of the previous stuff, but their take on the affair is interesting.

Asked if he was worried that Washington’s presence would alienate some viewers, Silverman answered without answering at all.

“You know what? I think people are tuning in to the ‘Bionic Woman,’ and whatever support we can give to the ‘Bionic Woman’ as possible, we will give,” Silverman said. “And I think that he is a wonderful actor. I think he is really talented.”

Read that again and decide for yourself if Silverman answered the question.

“Bionic Woman” executive producer Jason Smilovic almost broke his arm patting himself on the back for hiring Washington (at Silverman’s behest, it must be added).

“We believe in second chances. We are not here to make judgments,” he said.

Excuse me, but by hiring Washington, you are making a judgment.

They also pose the question of whether some forms of bigotory are more acceptable than others:

And, no, NBC would not be touting the hiring of an actor who had used the “n” word and then unrepentantly suggested he was the victim of some sort of conspiracy.

You won’t seen Michael Richards guest starring on on “Bionic Woman” anytime soon.

Some forms of bigotry are more acceptable than others at NBC

He’s right you know, you can’t have it both ways..and that’s something that NBC, Bionic Woman and Isaiah Washington will just have to contend with. At the same time, I do believe in second chances, but most of all I believe in this show – I hope it doesn’t become tainted. But we shouldn’t shy away from these issues – if they exist in the Bionic realm then we just have to confront them.

You can read the whole article here

NBC have been promoting Bionic Woman with some clever advertising techniques. Read more about some of those techniques in this shootonline.com article.

Also read about the Bionic Buzz and how it’s put Bionic Woman at the top of this falls must watch category.

Last but not least, here’s a recent interview with Katee Sackhoffon the Jimmy Kimmel show. Enjoy:

As some of you may know, ‘Comic Con’(the convention that can literally make or break a show, it seems), has been and gone for this year. All reports suggest that it was insane (in a good way), unfortunately yours truly couldn’t be there, however check out the following links for some excellent coverage of how Bionic Woman performed at the event.

Joe from I Am A TV Junkie, comments on the ‘dark’ themes of BW:

I have no problem with the dark storyline, it draws me to the thing, in fact. What I have a problem with is how dark the show is; Jaime works in a dance club (dark), the underground lab where they reconstruct her is underground (dark), Jaime and Sarah have their knock-down, drag-out on a roof in the rain at night (also dark), A little contrast would be nice and would serve to punch up the drama of the dark.

I agree with that – the pre-air Pilot episode that I saw was extremely one-tone. Infact the only time I really noticed any daylight was during what seemed to be a continuity error after Jaime strolled back from her face-off with Corvis. I do hope they mix it up a little. I’d actually love them to use ‘Heroes’ style colour/contrast to their scenes, it would make it alot more vivid.

Meanwhile, Daniel, from tvaddict.com did a nice write-up of the Bionic Woman Panel, which included some info on the structure of the episodes:

Smilovic explains that every episode will be self-contained, but naturally there will be a continuous mythology woven throughout the season. Pretty much an on-the-fence answer to ensure everybody tunes in all the time.

A clever answer by Smilovc, though I do hope this is the case because it should make the series more accessible, both to the hardcore fans and casual viewers – and we’ll need those casual viewers if this show is to get a second season.

That’s about it for now – please do visit those links for more Bionic/Comic Con info and let’s hope that Bionic Woman is at next years event.

Right, where to start? Alot has happened in the Bionic Woman World since I last posted. I guess we should start with the news that Lucy Hale has replaced Mae Whitman as Jaime Sommers sister, but with controversy following Isaiah Washington around like glue, I think we should begin with Bionic Producer, Jason Smilovc, defending the shows decision to cast him:

“We just found the best actor for the role,” Smilovic said. “The role was not conceived for Isaiah Washington, nor was it retooled for Isaiah Washington.” Smilovic said that Washington’s casting was suggested by newly installed NBC Entertainment co-president Ben Silverman.

“We feel he is the right actor for the role,” Smilovic said. “But also, we believe in second chances. We are not here to make judgments. When somebody does something wrong and you have a systemic problem, the best way to solve that problem is by allowing them to make amends, allowing them to make reparations and do the right thing. Rather than excommunicate someone, we felt it was better to give him a second chance.”

Smilovic said Washington’s casting was in no way intended to slight the gay community.

“We embrace the gay community,” Smilovic said. “We hope that they are going to watch the show, and we are in no way making any judgments or statements … about what was said or what was done. This is about making a television series. It’s about making some great entertainment, and we found a great actor to help us do just that.”

Okay, enough cliche’s already, my own opinion is that Washington was WRONG to say what he said and he certainly could have handled the aftermath better than he has done. I will never defend homophobia and will not defend him on this issue. That, however, doesn’t change the fact that the man is a brilliant actor, who ‘could’ bring alot to BW. Though I have to wonder whether his addition to the cast will bring good exposure to the show or bad exposure? Those who say, there’s no such thing as bad publicity could be right, but this could well damage the integrity of the show, because all everyone seems to be talking about, with regards to BW, is Isaiah and his reputation. Is this really GOOD for BW? If it continues in this vein it wont be, that i’m sure of. Sci-Fi fans are smart and they know what they like and what they don’t. BW has to be careful not to skirt over the ‘Washington situation’ too much, aswell as ensuring they don’t forget that the show itself is the most important thing in all of this.

Should the gay community boycott the show? The gay community should do what the gay community feels like doing. It isn’t for me to speak for them. All I will say is that people are individuals and I do hope that everyone gives the ‘show’ a chance.

Now on to more light-hearted stuff, with the news that Lucy Hale will take up the role of Jaime’s sister, left by the axed Mae Whitman:

Lucy Hale, who’s appeared on “How I Met Your Mother” and “The O.C.,” has taken over for Mae Whitman (“Arrested Development”) in the new NBC drama, which stars Michelle Ryan (“EastEnders”) as the title character. In addition to the recasting, the character has undergone a fairly significant transformation too.

As originally conceived, Jaime’s sister was deaf and living with her following the death of their mother (and not happy about it). In the reworked pilot, executive producer Jason Smilovic says, the parents are still out of the picture, but that may not be a permanent thing. Hale’s character is a budding hacker who may “open a channel” to reconnecting with her folks.

“Without going into too much detail, it’s that we wanted to create an organic way for — Jaime was originally working in a lab. She was going to be assigned to these chimpanzees. The chimpanzees were going to Dr. Anthros, to this gentleman right here [co-star Chris Bowers], who was using them for experimentation. He would come down to get the chimpanzees and he would — you know, they sort of fell in love during that time. And we were looking for a — an organic way for her to be talking to the chimpanzees in sign language. Of course, the chimpanzees disappeared. The lab disappeared [in the version with Whitman]. The deaf sister stayed, but now she’s disappeared as well.”

Now alot has and will be said about the change in Becca’s backstory. Personally I can see the logic in it. Since the Chimpanzees and other such aspects of the show has been changed, it makes sense to no longer make Becca deaf, since sign-language element would no longer exist between Jaime and her work. I would’ve liked to have seen Mae in the role as Becca, as it would have been an interesting exploration, but they (BW producers) obviously have a plan and I feel that at this stage we must trust them and give Hale a chance.

The fact that she’s a hacker could provide an interesting overlap into Jaime’s Bionic transformation, though they will have to be careful to put a unique spin on it, because the hacker angle is rather ‘tired’ these days.

I am also interested in the parent situation and they have kinda left that story hanging, ready to bring into the show at anytime, perhaps:

“The parents were activists back in the day and … were very keen on saving the world, but as a result, sort of neglected their own children,” Smilovic says.

Michelle Ryan and David Eick talk about the new Bionic Woman in this fantastic IGN interview. Among the things they talk about is Eick’s ambition to tell the story of a “contemporary woman”. Ryan say’s that she’s a “tomboy” at heart and the opportunity to play a strong woman was too good to turn down. She also tells the story of how she got the part:

“I was filming a horror film with Faye Dunaway, a very low-budget British film, and I got the call saying would you like to audition? So I drove down, wrapped at 2:00 in the morning, drove down back to London, and put myself on tape. I didn’t think anything of it, and then I got a call saying they’d love to fly you out to screen test. And I thought, oh, OK, great. I can go to L.A., hopefully sign with a good agent, and, you know, it would be good experience to go in a few meetings. And then, I went in and met David Eick and all the producers. And I got so excited because they were so enthusiastic about the project, and I just thought, ‘Actually, I really want this now!’ When you see, like, Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider and you see her sort of kicking ass, you’re like, yeah, I want to be like that. I want to be strong, and I want to be confident and empowered. And I think that’s a really great message that Bionic Woman will hopefully bring out there.”

In other news, the worlds first Bionic Hand is invented in England:

LONDON, July 19 (UPI) — The new, high-tech i-LIMB bionic hand, with five motorized fingers, will soon be sold in Britain for about $17,000, The Telegraph reported Thursday.

Until now, amputees have been fitted with artificial hands that use a thumb and two fingers to produce a simple claw grip, however, the British-invented i-LIMB allows patients to control five digits separately, using tiny muscle movements picked up by electrodes attached to the forearm, the newspaper said.

Those wearing the devices can do pretty much anything they could do before they lost their hands — from typing to peeling a banana to turning a key in a lock to eating with a knife and a fork, designers said.

It’s amazing to think how far we’ve come, that Bionic Limbs and such now exist in a very real and tangible way. Next they’ll be telling us that there’s an actual Bionic Woman..

The Independant interview Michelle Ryan on her Bionic rise to stardom.

When Ryan was 16, she aced an audition for EastEnders, and landed the role of Zoe Slater. How did that feel? Was she nervous? “No,” she says, “I’ve always been very mature. I’ve always been quite sensible, and always loved to work, and always been really dedicated.”

Ryan was on EastEnders from 2000 to 2005, when she was between the ages of 16 and 21. However professional a young actor you are, that is a hell of a time to be permanently in the public eye. Didn’t she ever want to rebel? Did she ever want to stay out late with friends, not turn up to filming the next day, or just jack the whole thing in?

“Not at first, no,” she says. “I took it all very seriously. When I wasn’t working I would take time out to work on an American accent with a dialect coach, or read a book on Stanislavsky.” But being so serious, says Ryan, led to some tough times. There were periods, on EastEnders, in which she became deeply depressed.

Working on Eastenders seemingly too more out of Michelle than it appeared at the time. To be ‘depressed’, perhaps says quite alot about how happy she was during her time on the show.

The atmosphere on set could also, she says, be poisonous. “Like any job, you’re not going to get on with every single person who works there,” says Ryan. “I think because there was so much press interest in EastEnders there was some tension. I’m not going to say it was a happy family all the time. It wasn’t. I did make some brilliant friends, though.”

Why was there tension? “It was partly people trying to get into the limelight,” says Ryan. “And partly because people were having stories sold about them the whole time. There were quite a lot of leaks at EastEnders – different people selling stories to newspapers. In the end, I was like: ‘Who can I trust?’

I think that most people do get the impression that the Eastenders cast are one big happy family.

“I actually felt really bad, because I always turned [the magazines] down. They’d say, ‘Why won’t you do it? We’ll fly you to the Maldives, we’ll give you Jimmy Choos!’ I said, ‘It’s really not about that.’” Ryan’s reticence, though, has only spurred them on – a couple of years ago, FHM voted her the fourth sexiest woman in the world.

Just as you will never see Ryan in her smalls, you are unlikely to see paparazzi pictures of her in the wee small hours. Like everything else in her career, her public persona is thoroughly considered.

“If you’re always in the press for reasons other than your acting,” she says, “it’s going to be even harder for you to get credibility. I’m naturally a private person anyway. I’d rather do my job and that’s that. It’s nice to go to events and get dressed up but if it becomes only about that, then you’re in it for the wrong reasons.”

Credit to her for that. It’s refreshing to see a young person so dedicated to their career. Of course no-one would begrudge her becoming distracted once in a while, but in a world of Lohan’s and wasted talent it’s nice to know that their are still some actors who put acting first and treat what comes with the fame as secondary.

Which brings us back to that phone call. Ryan didn’t ask her press officer to make it because she likes journalists, or because she had some newsworthy nugget to deliver. She asked because she has a work-rate that can only be described as bionic, and because the plan did not fit the execution. When Ryan goes after something, she does so with blood, sweat and tears. And, when she thinks she’s booked for 45 minutes, she wants 45 minutes.

Sounds like our perfect Bionic Woman! This is certainly one of the best and most revealing Michelle Ryan articles that I have read so far.